International order under pressure: Small states in the UN Security Council

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The war in Ukraine has underscored the return of great power politics and affected the climate of cooperation between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. This has strengthened critique of the Security Council as being outdated and paralyzed. But even when multilateralism is under pressure, many argue that being elected to the UN Security Council offers small states a unique opportunity to secure international influence and defend multilateral cooperation. 

This event will provide unique insights into how elected members can influence the agenda of the UN Security Council and use their position within the Council to further key priorities such as cybersecurity, climate security and women rights. At the event, representatives from the permanent missions of Albania and Estonia will share practical experiences on how to navigate the UNSC as small states in a dynamic context. The practical experiences of Albania and Estonia will be supplemented with lessons-learned from Denmark’s last time in the UNSC in 2005-2006.   

Speakers

Ambassador Ferit Hoxha, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Albania to the UN
Ferit Hoxha has been active in foreign affairs and international relations for more than 20 years. He has served in numerous positions in the Albanian foreign service including posts as the Albanian Ambassador to various countries and has extensive experience from international settings such as the EU, the IAEA and UNESCO in addition to being the permanent representative of Albania to the UN.

Kristel Lõuk, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Estonia to the UN
Kristel Lõuk joined the Estonian Foreign Service in 2005 and has been working with a broad range of issues from development and humanitarian aid to international peace and security. She has served in various positions at the Estonian Mission to the UN, Embassy in Copenhagen, Office of the President of Estonia and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Troels Burchall Henningsen, Assistant Professor, Royal Danish Defence College
Troels is an assistant Professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, where he teaches military strategy, stability operations, and internal conflicts. His research is on internal conflicts and Western interventions.

Kristian Fischer, director, DIIS

Maria-Louise Clausen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

Programme

14.30-14.35     Introduction, Kristian Fischer
14.35-14.50     Unexpected opportunities for an elected member: Estonian experiences in the UNSC 2020-2021, Kristel Lõuk
14.50-15.05     The role of the elected countries in shaping the work of Security Council – a view from Albania, Ferit Hoxha
15.05-15.20     Gaining influence? Danish experiences as elected member of UNSC 2005-2006, Troels Burchall Henningsen
15.20-16.00     Q&A, moderated by Maria-Louise Clausen

Recorded on Monday 6 March 2023, 14.30-16.00 at DIIS ∙ Danish Institute for International Studies